Interaction with a friendly individual in another world for the first time.
　After such a heartwarming exchange, about thirty minutes had passed since he offered to help her.

"What on earth is going on?"

　The investigation was smoothly at a standstill.

　The cold gaze of the girl questioning him brought Subaru to a new realization—namely,

"Even though I'm being looked at with such a cold stare, I'm feeling a thrill... Could it be? No way, am I... a masochist?"

"I don't know about being an 'M' or whatever, but I do know you're saying something really stupid."

　With her arms crossed, the girl sighed without even attempting to hide her exasperation.
　It's fair to say that this scathing appraisal is a justified result of Subaru's performance over the last thirty minutes.

　Subaru had voluntarily offered to look for her lost item, but the investigation had faced several issues, causing it to be an extremely arduous task.

　First off, he had no sense of the land.
　On this matter, being newly summoned to another world, he could only ask for some understanding. But considering the girl was also unfamiliar with the area's geography, it was a significant setback for her as well.
　Both of them assumed the other would know the way, leading to them wasting about ten minutes wandering around back alleys. It's a funny story in hindsight—not that they can laugh about it.

　Secondly, the writing was completely incomprehensible.
　He had let his guard down since they could converse, but upon looking around, there were hand-written hieroglyphs, or something like them, everywhere.
　He didn't notice initially, but seeing them on signboards and other places, unless they were some widespread curse to ward off evil, it was likely the writing system of this world. Consequently, he couldn't distinguish shops by their signs nor ask for directions using guideboards.
　In other words, the summoned-world trope of "somehow understanding spoken language and readable writing!" only applied to the former in his case.
　Given he'd be left to die otherwise, it's arguably a slightly more favorable situation.

"Still, the difficulty level is unnecessarily skyrocketing..."

　Far from the start of an over-the-top cheat story, the preparation itself had glaring gaps everywhere.
　Above all, the fatal problem that incurred the girl's displeasure was—.

"To begin with, you've been hiding behind me this whole time and haven't been any help at all."

"But talking to people I've never met before is kind of scary..."

"You're not a child..."

She frowned as if she had a headache, speaking in a voice tinged with pity. Just as Subaru had feared, the hurdle of asking a stranger about something was extraordinarily high. Over the past year, he had been sprinting up the hill of social incompetence at full speed. His behavior was akin to a shy child clinging to its mother's side, remaining silent and glued to her.

Although Subaru wanted to object to the girl's disappointment, he was so acutely aware of his own incompetence that he couldn’t find the words.
The small cat that had been silent on her shoulder until then wagged its tail and said,

"Don't worry. He doesn't mean any harm at all."

"That's even worse. If he was intentionally trying to sabotage, at least I could understand that. Good intentions that end up being useless are harder to deal with than malicious intentions."

"Lesson learned, huh."

The girl sighed at the cat's indifferent attitude. Then she cast her gaze back on the street and prefaced by saying,

"And yet, it might be quite tough."

She voiced her concern softly. They had moved from the alleyway they were in earlier, connected to the main street, to an impoverished area far from the bustling shops.

Despite being passive, their inquiries had led them to a rough pursuit.

"If they're fencing stolen goods, the slums or the impoverished district seem the most likely."

"We already know the place and what the person looks like. Why not just leave it to the city guards or something? A group effort would catch him in no time."

A narrow alley led to the slum area, as they had heard from a shopkeeper a couple of streets away. The atmosphere was gloomy despite being just a street away, due to factors other than the light source.

The damp air and foul smell wafted around, causing Subaru to wrinkle his nose in disgust.

"The air, the atmosphere, and probably the characters of the people living here are bad. Calling in reinforcements would be more reliable."

"No."

He was not scared or backing down; it was a suggestion made after carefully assessing his own abilities and the girl's safety. However, it was flatly rejected.

Subaru's eyes widened at her firm assertion, while the girl, looking a bit apologetic, said,

"I'm sorry. But it can't be helped. I can't imagine the guards would act over such a small theft... Besides, I have reasons why I can't rely on them."

She tightly pressed her lips together and looked at Subaru as if pleading, "I can't tell you the reasons."

Subaru raised his hand in response to her gaze, understanding that she didn't want to be asked about her circumstances. He wasn't one to pry into others' private matters, and getting too involved would be a hassle.

If he had been more proactive in his human relationships, he wouldn't have become a recluse in the first place.

"So, what are we going to do?"

While he did not inquire further, Subaru asked her about the next steps.

Not pressing her for reasons and deciding whether to stop helping her were two different matters. He didn't know her circumstances but refused to be ungrateful.

The girl raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise, possibly not expecting Subaru to continue helping. The cat on her shoulder lightly tapped its paws, and,

"See? I told you, he didn't mean any harm."

With its usual nonchalant manner, the cat pointed at Subaru with its paw enthusiastically.

However, then the cat's expression turned serious suddenly,

"But, make your decisions carefully. It's getting dark soon, and I won't be able to help anymore. I'm not worried as long as it's just thugs... but caution is necessary too."

"Yeah, you're right. I’ll think about it. I'll think about it, but..."

The girl's response to the kitten's suggestion was indecisive.

While she was pondering her answer, Subaru directed a sudden question to the cat.

"From what you just said, does that mean you can't come out at night?"

"It's not that I can't come out; even though I look this cute, I'm still a spirit. Just staying manifested uses up quite a bit of mana. So at night, I return completely to my vessel to focus on storing mana. Ideally, my hours are nine to five."

"Nine to five? That's like a civil servant's schedule... The employment conditions for spirits are surprisingly harsh...!"

Natural terms like "spirits" and "vessels" are being thrown around nonchalantly, but modern otaku with their anime and game-induced comprehension skills can unravel them easily.

In any case, the little cat—no, rather, Pack in front of us, has a contract that denies night activities. Despite appearances suggesting unreliability, the thugs in the alley were clearly terrified, indicating that regardless of Pack himself, the existence of "spirits" holds considerable power. A girl who conjures ice with magic, feared more than her; despite the unusual pastoral vibe, there might be habits like 'devouring human flesh and craving the scent of blood.'

"Thinking about it like that suddenly makes it terrifying. Just so you know, I think I'm too sinewy to be tasty!"

"I can read your mind to some extent, and I have to say... you're quite an idiot."

Attempting but failing to soften the blow, Pack furrowed the notably fluffy area around his eyebrows and grimaced.

"Come to think of it, I haven't heard your name yet. I don't think we've introduced ourselves."

"Now that you mention it, that's true. Well then, I'll go first."

With a clearing of his throat, Subaru spun around once on the spot and struck a pose with his finger pointing to the sky.

"My name is Natsuki Subaru! I don't know my left from my right, plus I'm penniless but carefree! Nice to meet you!"

"Just from hearing that, it sounds like you're in a do-or-die situation already. Yep, and I'm Pack. Nice to meet you."

Offering a friendly hand, Pack leaped in for a dynamic handshake. With one side using a hand and the other using his whole body, from an onlooker's perspective, it seemed like Subaru was crushing Pack.

While being soothed by the unchanged fluffiness of his larger form, Subaru's gaze then turned to the girl beside them. Watching the interaction between the one person and one spirit with a disinterested look, she said,

"Why can't you apply that unnecessarily familiar attitude to everyday situations?"

"I'm panicking and clinging to the hopeful string I found! Damn it, I'm not letting this connection escape... I'll cling to it for survival..."

"That's a terribly trivial determination. ... By the way, are you even aware of the pretext for why you're currently accompanying us?"

"Of course. It's for the person being searched for, who turned out to be a missing person. And I'm the only one who knows the characteristics of that person... As if I'd let myself get discarded, I absolutely won't talk...!"

"Though during the questioning, someone behind was mumbling 'blonde hair... and teeth, uh, never mind,' so we've got a rough idea of the features."

“You idiot!!”

Subaru crouched down on the spot, holding his head.
It was akin to showing one's hand in a game of poker. Trying to negotiate like that was sheer folly.
Despite this being his first friendly encounter in this world, the thread he sought to cling to seemed dangerously close to snapping, causing him impatience and anxiety. As Pack watched Subaru's internal struggle, he gave a wry smile and said,

"Well, we both have our circumstances, don't we? Circumstances. Subaru, we'll hear your side later, but let's wrap up this side of things first. By the way, your name is quite unusual. It has a nice ring to it."

"Yes, you don't hear that name around here. Speaking of which, your hair and eye color, and even your clothing, are very unusual... Where are you from?"

"In a typical response, probably a small country far to the east!"

A trope in otherworldly settings, like a hidden village in a far eastern part of the world akin to Japan.
A country with virtually no diplomatic relations, making it a magical default explanation that most people would accept upon hearing it had come from there. However,

"Lugunica is the easternmost country on the continental map... There's nothing east of here."

"No way, really!? This is the eastern edge!? So, the fabled Japan!?"

"He doesn't even know where he is, he's penniless, and he's too scared to talk to people. ...I'm starting to worry about his future from various angles."

As Subaru panicked, the girl's eyes became fidgety and restless.
Despite not being straightforward, she couldn’t hide her caring demeanor that seeped out from her actions. She probably couldn't leave Subaru, who was completely defenseless, unattended.
Seeing the two of them fret, Pack observed them with a gentle smile. He flicked the whiskers on his cheek with his paw,

"For now, let's sort out the details gradually. For now, let's go further in... but I can only manifest for less than an hour. I need a decision."

"—We’re going. There’s no way I’m missing this opportunity. If it gets taken somewhere out of reach, it'll be too late."

At Puck's request, the girl then turns back to Subaru.

“Well, let’s go, but… From this alley onward, be more cautious than before. It will get darker, and there might be people with bad intentions. Plus, it's a place where people used to rough business live. If you’re scared, either wait here or stay behind me like before.”

“If I said I’d wait here, how chicken would that make me! I’m coming with you! Like a ghost haunting you!”

“There’s no option where you go in front… but that way, I don’t have to worry unnecessarily either.”

The girl sighs, not knowing how many times she has done it already.
Since they met, Subaru thought he’s only clouded her expression. Reflecting on it, he hasn’t seen a single smile from her yet. Her angry face is something. She would be absolutely cute when she smiles.

“An orange on top of an aluminum can!!”

“…What suddenly got into you?”

“It’s weird. It’s not working. Why… Ah! I messed up! There are no aluminum cans in this world! Umm, umm, then, a stove flying… stoves don’t exist either!”

“He's suddenly behaving erratically… It’s not the effect of a ‘curse’ or something, right?”

“No, it’s voluntary. He’s oddly trying very hard. In a meaningless direction.”

Perhaps sensing the root of Subaru’s struggle, Puck interprets it quite favorably. On the other hand, for the girl who can only see Subaru as if he’s malfunctioning, it just plants suspicion.
While lamenting the excess of puns unique to his original world, Subaru desperately thinks. Concentrating too much on the immediate situation and losing sight of the big picture—this is also one of Subaru’s bad habits.

“How about ‘My leg is cramping so I can’t go home (kan = cramp)’?”

Finally coming up with a pattern that doesn’t rely on modern knowledge, the girl's reaction is cold, turning her face away.
Her gaze is towards the alley, signaling that she can’t engage any longer.
The result of following a fleeting desire to see her smile ended in failure.

“―Have you had enough, Subaru?”

With the utter failure of the result and process, the girl calls out to Subaru, now maximally self-loathing.
Feeling a bit flustered by being called by his name for the first time and being addressed so casually by a girl,

“Y-yeah. To-totally fine. Seriously fine. I can totally do it, it’s a piece of cake.”

"Why are you so agitated...? I know it's scary, but we haven't even gone in yet. If you're that scared, you should just wait."

With her misplaced concern, the girl finally stops extending her consideration to Subaru with a short sigh. As she proceeds into the alley, Subaru realizes that she doesn't intend to abandon him after achieving her goal. Her suggestion to 'wait here' implies she plans to come back after finding what she's looking for. It's clear within the past hour that she's not the type to tell calculated lies.

"Damn. I'm such a loser."

Despite offering to help, he was actually useless and has ended up worrying the girl about his well-being even after fulfilling her objective. He's utterly dependent, a true mooch.

Slapping his cheeks, Subaru forces himself to wake up with the pain and looks forward. His self-pity still isn't exhausted. Anyone who falls into a foreign world without any protection would end up wandering like this. He still doesn't think that's necessarily a bad thing. However,

"Being completely dependent isn't cool. At least handle walking behind her by yourself."

Even while being dependent, he stands on his own two feet.
—Even though he's awakened, Subaru's goal remains incredibly small.

"By the way,"

When he calls from diagonally behind, the girl glances back at him partially through her silver hair.
Even her side glance is so seductive that it makes him hesitant, yet Subaru asks her as he looks at her white profile.

"After all, although I heard your cat's name, I realized I haven't asked for yours."

To his playful question, the girl returns her gaze forward and falls silent.
Her reaction makes him think, "Did I mess up?" and he panics inside. Maybe by not speaking earlier, she was implicitly saying she didn't want to share her name.
A socially awkward person who can't read anyone's feelings, let alone a girl's—perhaps that's still being painfully demonstrated.

"—Satella."

"Huh?"

At the girl's sudden whisper, Subaru, who was engulfed in turmoil, is taken aback.
Without looking back, the girl, in an emotionless tone, says to the stunned Subaru once more,

"You can call me Satella."

Despite introducing themselves, they had an attitude that seemed to refuse being called that.

Subaru, who would have preferred to be told an easier-to-call family name, pressed his lips together, unable to clearly call them that.

For now, he decided it would be acceptable to call them using the second person, a cowardly compromise.

In the backdrop of these two's exchange, Puck, buried in silver hair, suddenly muttered a phrase:

"—You have poor taste."

This muttering was heard by neither Subaru nor the girl.